Owsgmina
by kamikaze-djali
Summary: The BPRD is called in to determine the fate of two hikers that vanished in Poland, uncovering the gruesome past of Owsgmina in the process. No Mary Sue, no romance, Hellboy comicverse.
1. The Screaming Head

_**Author note**: Hopefully this story will live up to my last Hellboy fanfiction. Been toying with it for months, building it upon a strange series of nightmares. Reviews, both good and bad, are more than welcome. If anything is not true to comic, please inform me. I do not own Hellboy, Liz, Kate or anything else BPRD. Everything else, however, is out of my own twisted head._

* * *

Chapter 1: A screaming head

Abe sat in the old library at the BPRD reading a classic piece of literature. Not much had been happening lately, him and Red had spent the last few days more or less hanging out. Abe read his books, swam about in his tank and took some time to slow down and enjoy life.Red, on the other hand, was restless.

Abe peered over the top of the pages with his amphibian eyes. He watched as a red tail thrashed under a large brown coat.

"Everyone but the stupid poet and the stupid goat die."

"Damn it, Red." Abe tossed his book ontothe antique table. "Accept the fact that you're getting a break. Only two months ago you were complaining about being too busy."

Hellboy glared at Abe, the book, then Abe once more. The book sat with the cover facing down revealing a multitude of dog-eared pages. A disconcerted breath escaped him and he left the library. Abe resumed the novel at a random page. Hellboy left Abe to destroy his book; to dog-ear a book bothered him, even if it was merely a cheap paperback.

Abe struggled to find his place among the dog-ears, rapidly flipping through the pages for a chapter about a coin turned into a dry leaf. Many more disruptions and he would never find his place again.

* * *

Hellboy stood in silence, facing into a large glass cabinet full of old relics he had gathered throughout his travels. A clock hand (1), crumbled bowls, old bones, relics and statues of elder Gods to name a few. Each and every one of these objects had some sort of special meaning to him, a good storyand at least one corresponding injury. Over sixty years lay before him in neatly placed rows, a gruesome collection that would have many museum curators begging for a peek.

The screaming skull had been his last acquisition, the voice of which drove two agents insane and drove a third to suicide. The skull had washed up from a shipwreck and caused the death of several shepherds and their flocks on a small Greek island. Had it really only been two weeks ago he'd retrieved it?

The skull began to shake in it's iron bonds, the bars were too tight, the horseshoes welded too firm to allow its' escape. The researchers at the BPRD had better figure out how to destroy it. It had proven impervious to his stone right hand. His yellow eyes focused on the empty sockets of the skull, the emptiness seemed to focus back at him. Someone had to destroy its power before it escaped.

As Hellboy stared at the vibrating skull, another member of the BPRD approached him from behind. Her delicate hand rested on Hellboys' left arm.

"Skeleton in your closet?"

"The ocean is my best guess."

"Kate and I will go with you." Hellboy opened his mouth to speak. "I know you're thinking it, HB. You always have all the fun on missions, I want to get in on the good times."

"You think that falling from high places and getting wounded or eaten by monsters on nearly every mission is a FUN thing?" Hellboy paused to catch his thoughts. "There are no missions."

"Ten minutes ago you would have been right. A couple of 'important' hikers went missing while touring some old ruins." Liz pulled a manila envelope from behind her. "Poland, Red. When was the last time you were in Poland?"

Hellboy nodded toward a mummified human leg with a hideous face grafted onto it. Liz read out the untidy writing on a piece of aged duct tape beneath it.: "Fachan. Poland, March, 1968."

* * *

Hellboy sat in the plane reading. His eyes darted from an ancient leather-bound and moth-eaten manuscript to a laser-printed email message from the British Society for Research of Paranormal Activity (BSRPA). Professor Corrigan scanned a large map, laid out under Hellboys' own stack of papers.

Liz lay sprawled out on a makeshift chair, idly twirling an unlit cigarette between her slim fingers. A stack of papers on Eastern European hiking trails with annotations courtesy of the late Professor Bruttonholm lay scattered, largely unread, on her lap. The roar of the planes' engine was only met by the occasional turning of pages from the other two agents. Kate wasn't saying much, yet mentioned nearly becoming fuel for a giant human-fat monster.(2) Liz dropped the cigarette, now soggy from the sweat on her palms.

"Rest a bit. You'll need it." Stated Kate, her compass expertly tracing lines on the map while she spoke. "Now if we travel by van from this small town here, to Owsgmina, we should remain largely undetected and arrive close enough that were only in the van for four hours."

Liz rolled her eyes.

"Readying to land. Prepare for decent" pierced the relative silence.

During some minor turbulence, Hellboy scanned the interior of the plane for first aid equipment and was unremarkably disappointed at the sight of a kit the size of a child's lunchbox next to several large trunks of weapons, explosives and defenses against the occult. The BPRD must think him indestructible.

Moments later, the plane touched down on a remote airstrip.

* * *

1 Esthers' Home, Hellboy fanfic by me

2 Hellboy, Almost Colossus. Mignola.


	2. Sisters of Owsgmina

_**Author note**: This place is a total fabrication, a sole product of a twisted nightmare that kept me up for an entire night. Hopefully it wasn't unknowingly inspired by something else. Pleases read & review. Again, BPRD and its' agents are not mine. They're Mignolas'._

* * *

Sisters of Owsgmina

Hellboy, Kate and Liz stepped off the plane to meet aman in a business suit with a thick British accent, Agent Rupert Smith of the BSRPA. He gave Hellboy and Kate a hearty handshake and nodded at Liz. Everything about this man was perfect; he had not a single hair out of place.

"Everything is ready and waiting for your mission. You are invited to join us at the base for tea, our staff will load your equipment into your jeep." The base was small, yet well-equipped for it's remote location. Tea and scones sat on a makeshift table. A large mug of black coffee was placed before Hellboy. Agent Smith began talking immediately.

"As you are aware, two of our agents disappeared while searching for the "Eye of Lin". As you may know through your own research, this relic is rumored to have been over two thousand years old and a direct link to the other side. Years of research went into determining its location and planning its retrieval. Our efforts, however, did not go as planned."

"... and only now do you contact the BPRD." Hellboy stepped in. "Owsgmina is not your standard haunting."

"We are now aware of that, Mr. Hellboy, which is why you are here. We will provide everything you need for this mission, in hopes that our men and the eye will be retrieved."

"I'll need a sturdy burlap sac for their bones." Hellboy grumbled into his coffee.

"We will do our best." Professor Corrigan chimed in.

* * *

A larger first aid kit sat in the back of the jeep, among the weapons. Hellboy crammed his frame into the small space, causing the vehicles' springs to complain. At least there was headroom, an effect of there being no roof.

Kate drove the BSRPA jeep to the small town nearest to where the hikers had last been seen by a group of traveling herdsmen, about three hours from the airstrip. The Roma were always agreeable with Hellboy, generally providing him with any information he sought. Perhaps it was fear.

Hellboystepped out into the tall blonde grass. It was late summer and only the trees remained green. The town of Owsgmina, although out of sight, was straight ahead on the narrow goat track fourteen miles, then three miles of cross-country trekking. Hellboy had already decided to walk, since his tail slamming on the seat with every bump caused his back to ache. Also, his horn stumps bouncing off the roll bar once was more than enough for him. It was early evening when the BPRD arrived at the gates to Owsgmina.

Hellboy walked closer to the wrought iron gate, which gently swung open and closed withthe wind. Kate and Liz followed him from behind. Kate felt her pistol by her side, Liz balanced a cigarette between her lips, white ashes falling to the ground.

The cobblestone streets were very narrow. The whole place was about the same colour, made of cold beige, now blackened, stone. The colours were monochrome due to the setting sun and ravages of time. Liz stared back at the jeep, it's fate almost certain; no mission that involved Hellboy ended with at least some destruction.

The three agents walked towards an older palace in the centre of the town, a rich stone masterpiece dulled and beaten by weather, war and neglect. Its walls were now grey and towered above the streets. Hellboy scanned the town's horizon. Old stone, dust and misery. This place had not changed since before the First World War. The shops lacked signs, no dogs or children wandered the street. Liz walked closely beside Kate.

As Hellboy walked past the buildings, his hooves echoed out into the stone streets. The occasional set of eyes stared from long-abandoned crumbling relics to the past, following the rhythmic clacking. Hellboys' yellow eyes caught the movement of figures in the shadows, following the agents silently. Their faces were cold and expressionless. Liz tightened the cross on her neck and the rosary on her wrist.

Before long, they stood before a tall building, held up by coarse metal and wood trellis. Professor Corrigan stared up at the twisted bars and spires, her eyes meeting with a broken cross. Liz peered between the trellises, her eyes meeting literally thousands of crudely welded frame crates.

"What is this place?"

"It was a convent." Kate turned to meet Liz's eyes. "The convent of perpetual life" once took on the insane as sisters, in hope that through Christian teachings and prayer that they could be saved, their souls purged of all evil. Over the centuries, the nuns became less and less Christian, the sisters descending into what could only be described as a cult that invaded the surrounding village such that all lived in fear. Soon, children began to disappear. Of course, the nuns were the first to be blamed. The villagers tried repeatedly to enter the convent, yet every soul that attempted never reappeared. It was thought, after several years, that the sisters had perished since no living creature ever passed through the gates of the massive building."

Liz huddled into her coat, clutching her arms to her chest for warmth. "What happened." Hellboy stepped in to finish the story as Kate studied the frames and wrought iron bars.

"As the years passed, the people came to see the terrifying truth about their town. With no one to work the grounds surrounding the convent, the building began to crumble away in large pieces. An iron frame was revealed, within it thousands of bodies, young and old, all human. Another secret was also uncovered. The sisters were still alive, prowling through their prison convent each night, watching the townspeople through broken windows and cracking walls.

One night during a storm the gate to the convent opened for the first time in decades. The townspeople cowered in their homes as the insane women banged on the doors of the houses. Once inside, they tore the flesh from the bones of the villagers with their teeth. The remains were placed into the crypt to rot with those of ages past. The trapped souls of the village continued to feed the cult that dwelled above. No one has knowingly sought out the village since."

Liz drew her coat around her, only loosing it to light another cigarette. Even the fire that burned within her felt hindered in this cold place. Hellboy appeared to be the only one who didn't appear to feel its intensity.

Hellboy looked up the stone wall, his eyes resting on a crumbling window frame. "They're not going to come out, which means one of us…" Hellboy mumbled through an unlit cigar.

A nun appeared at the window, far up on the wall of crypts and remains. Liz refused to look up, she didn't need to see the creature to know it was there. She could feel the eyes from the dead watching her. She could see them, although she did not look upon any of them. Their hungry spirits followed her down the main street of the town. She wanted to leave, yet could not desert Hellboy or Kate, they depended on her as part of their team.

"I'm going in."

Kate lightly touched Hellboys' stone hand as he walked away. He turned around to look at Liz. "She'll take care of ya, kid. Just stick with Kateand remember why you're here." Hellboy pulled out his Zippo lighter, a flickering yellow flame claiming the dried tobacco within seconds.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	3. At the Centaur

_**Author note**: Hellboy ain't mine, nor is BPRD etc... Hopefully this will just continue to get creepier and more disturbing as the chapters continue. Thank-you very much to all who have submitted reviews, your feedback is much appreciated:) Updates will continue as I find free time to write them._

* * *

At the centaur

Kate watched as Hellboy disappeared into the crumbling building, her arm blocking a step forward by Liz.

"He'll be fine; this is nothing unusual for him."

Liz didn't say anything, but threw her cigarette to the ground and smeared it across the cobbles with her boot. "We can't just wait here waiting for something to happen."

Kate tossed Liz an iron cross on a chain. The cross was heavy and well made, yet rough and unfinished.

"While Hellboy works from the inside, we'll look for the BSRPA agents."

Kate and Liz walked away from the gate of the convent and into the convoluted streets of Owsgmina, the faint pattering of naked feet closely behind them.

* * *

The inside of the convent walls appeared as the streets outside. The only difference being thick brown chunks of paper that lay strewn upon the ground. Hellboy lifted a larger chunk with his right hand, examining it between stone fingers. It was leather, human leather, and it stank. The source was inside. Hellboy began to ascend the long set of rough steps that led into the convent.

Mildew and dust met Hellboys' nose as he stepped lightly inside. Between his hooves, the crypts below were plainly visible. He trod lightly, hoping the aged structure could hold his weight. Dust and torn cobwebs filled the interior of the convent. Broken religious statues lay strewn about the floor, some reassembled into freakishly deformed figures.

The vacant hallway eventually led to a dilapidated altar. Jesus and Mary stood beaten and crumbled, their eyes chipped out and their arms missing. Partially dried blood clots filled the cracks of the masonry, leading to a large flat stone bearing gleaming white human bones, shiny and licked clean.

Hellboy stepped closer only to feel a large piece of cartilage slip between his hooves. It was a meniscus. As Hellboy kneeled to remove it, a small cold object fell onto his neck then quietly rolled beside its mate. Hellboy slowly reached for the Samaritan as a low growl reached his ears from above.

* * *

Liz and Kate walked to the top of the hill and stood in the middle of the street. Liz's eye followed a shadow into an old building, the "Centaur Inn", on the left side of the street. Both followed.

Inside the building sat dust, broken furniture and dehydrated food. Mummified dogs and cats littered the wooden floor, yet not a human bone among them. Kate shone her light onto the body of a large breed dog. Its skin and hair were intact and it appeared as though every drop of fluid had been drained from its body. As the beam moved across the floor, there was a faint hissing.

Liz aimed her maglite into the shadows and turned it on. Pale, hairless, decomposed faces without eyes stood crouched in the darkness. Liz took a step back, frantically turning the end of the light. The light got brighter, the creatures advanced. Gunshots and shattering glass echoed within the building. Liz dropped the light. Guttural moans were followed closely by fierce growling and scrambling on the floor. The air suddenly turned to dust. Liz felt teeth sink into her shin when hands grabbed her from behind. She turned to see Dr. Corrigan, who quickly forced her to run from the building with her.

* * *

The creature lowered itself to Hellboys' side, watching him from a respectful distance. Its' voice was wet and throaty, the words a slurred and bastardized Latin. Hellboy turned his head and watched the creature, without moving his body. There were more of them, at least a dozen, directly above his head.

"_Us come to hell you take. Taste us of your followers."_

A curtain of dust drew itself around Hellboy as more creatures lowered themselves from the exposed rafters. Hellboy stood slowly, the dust, cobwebs and dried human remains rolling off his duster, through the floor and into the crypt below. Through the haze of dust, twenty or so twisted figures stood with hungry jowls and sharpened teeth. Empty eye sockets followed every movement. They licked their mummified lips with dry blackened tongues.

"_Feed us."_

Hellboy cocked his gun.

"_Feed us."_

The creatures approached.

"_Feed us."_

Hellboy could feel their clawed hands grasping his tail and at his pockets. He quickly drew his tail under his coat. They began to chew at his right hand, which until now had been lowered.

"Screw this."

The handle of the gun smashed down onto the decaying head of one of the creatures.

"Sister... sisss…" 

The body hit the floor, an arm breaking off and falling into the crypt. It returned to its' feet and hissed, this time in a much older language that Hellboy knew all too well.

"Oh, crap!"

"_Take him!"_


	4. Owsgmina 1189

_**Author note**: Just some background on the town. Hellboy will be back in the next chapter. I don't own anything seen in the BPRD comics. Only the setting and evil guys are mine. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

Owsgmina 1189_

"Are you sure you are able to take her?"

The girl was young and dressed in torn burlap. Her eyes were bright blue; painful and mournful eyes. Her skin was pale and blistered, having never seen the light of day. She could not talk, but rather she screamed and moaned. Her weak limbs flailed in the air, her crudely shorn head lolling side to side.

"We tried everything. Beatings, locking her in a shed, fasting and fire. It is the devils' child, I tell you. God had forsaken us, wrongly cursed us with this witch."

"There is room for all of Gods' children within our walls. God turns none away, and nor shall we." Spoke the nun in a kindly, roughened voice. A twisted, three-fingered hand touched the childs' face. The parents did not notice, nor did they care.

The parents walked away, leaving their five-year-old daughter in the hands of the hooded nun. She lifted the child into her arms and carried her into the safety of the convents' walls. They, like so many others, had traveled many moons through the wilderness to reach this hidden town.

Once inside,Mother Ethera lowered her hood to reveal a face scarred, damaged and burned. Her lower lip was missing, presumably cut off. She set the girl into a bed of straw and offered her bread. The girl made several attempts to reach for the food, each ending in her fingers failing to wrap themselves around it. The nun fed her.

* * *

"No merchants will sell their wares here. Word has spread that we give sanctuary to witches and sorcerers that eat children and curse livestock. If we are to survive, we must cease all relationship with the convent." A prominent townsperson shouted from atop a wagon of straw. "The king will not help us, thus we must take matters into our own hands."

The people shouted out in agreement. No farmer, merchant or storeowner was to sell, give or provide any goods to the Sisters. The nuns begged for food, for warmth. None came; no charity reached the Sisters of Perpetual Life for weeks. Shortly after, an iron bar was fastened across the entrance to the convent with welds, locks and chains. All within were now barred from leaving the sanctuary.

The townspeople were greatly pleased, since once again their larders were full and merchants brought fine food, wine and wares to the market. If anyone was seen climbing the wall, they were shot, drawn and quartered in the public square.

* * *

Mother Ethera buried her deformed face into her withered palms.

"Please, God. We need help if we are to do your bidding. The children depend on us for food and care that they are unable to secure themselves. Please, I'm begging to you, God. Save us."

The next day a cloaked figure appeared at the gates of Owsgmina, demanding admittance to the convent. The townspeople refused him entrance, stating that the convent was no more, and to seek religious teachings elsewhere. The cloaked man continued to ask to see the Sisters. The sheriff jeered at him and put him in chains. He was tied to the rack and dissected alive infront of the villagers. Mother Ethera watched on from the roof of the chapel, her eyes weeping bitter tears.

The villagers soon pilfered the travelers' clothes. Within it lay a glass orb. The elders of the town knew not what it was nor its origins, but that it was powerful. Soon, they awakened the angel within the orb and pleased with it to help rid them of their burden forever.

The angel, dressed in gold and red velvet, bargained with the townspeople. The people begged of the angel to rid them of the cursed convent and it's associations such that the town may be free. That night, the locks to the convent were broken and the angry residents stormed the building. Those still alive were dismembered and thrown into the crypts below. Their screams echoed through the night, as many were left to bleed to death through stumps of severed limbs.

The convent was vacant, yet this act came at a price. In return for the favour, the angel took the souls of all villagers involved as his personal servants until his own return in the flesh.

Once the sisters were gone, the servants of the "angel" soon enslaved the surviving townsfolk to do their bidding. Those who did not comply, or who were no longer of use, were eaten alive. Ironworkers were forced to raise the convent into a massive tower, the foundation expanded to hold the thousands of bodies. The builders soon contributed their own bones to the structure.

God no longer gazed upon the town of Owsgmina since the "Eye of Lin" served as a direct link to Hell. God had been cast out of the town. Only the nuns slept in peace.

* * *

Years passed and the residents continued to prowl the stone streets. They craved only fresh blood and human flesh. Travelers passing near the forsaken town disappeared, their bones joining those of ages past. Soon, there was no one to feast on. Left with no food and no blood, the walking dead became hungry, and restless. They could not die, they could not leave. They simply waited in the shadows for their next meal to walk through the gates.

_...to be continued_


	5. Fire and Crosses

_**Author note:** Hellboy, Elizabeth Sherman, Kate Corrigan and the BPRD are property of Mike Mignola. The "Holy Hand Grenade" is from Monty Python, since I couldn't resist throwing it in. The rest of this story, which includes settings, backstory, cursed villagers, nuns, morbid descriptions, eye of Lin and pretty much everything else, is all out of my own head. Before anyone asks, no, I can't sleep at night._

* * *

Fire and Crosses

The half moon was now making it's appearance in a purple sky. The stars were only beginning to appear. Kate stood outside the centaur, gun in hand. Ten clips with eight rounds of Hellboys' special for the walking dead. Her eyes flashed towards Liz, who leaned against the wall, the bite from the creature having torn her skin.

Liz could feel her own blood dripping down into her boot. The pain of burning acid was unbearable. She held only the cross in her hand, her heart pounding together with the sounds of the gathering undead. Foot falls, floor scratching and angry whispers hung thick in the air. Her gun lay on the cobbles, the fire within shining in her eyes.

Both agents stared into the blackened doorway. All was silent. Kate slowly turned around to meet with thirty crouching, dried figures with sharpened teeth.

"_Mokaka hin anu infaha.._"

Kate opened fire, shattering limbs, heads and bodies. Those parts not destroyed continued forward. They continued to advance on Kate and Liz, piling forward as if starved dogs toward a carcass.

"_Amid orak conshindum tum._"

"Liz, I'm getting low. Use your gun. Oh, God. Use your gun!"

Liz walked towards Kate, leaving her gun on the stones. She clutched the cross in her hands and walked toward the hoard of dismembered scavengers. She turned one eye to Kate, who stood screaming.

"Get out of the way!" It fell on deaf ears.

"Run." Whispered Liz.

Kate's eyes darted from Liz's eyes to the cross, which glowed neon orange in her hands.

* * *

Chunks of dried, dusty flesh flew through the air as Hellboy attempted to fight off his attackers. Their teeth and claws tore through his coat, and skin, far too easily for his liking. Blood flowed freely from his wounds, the creatures licking each drop as it fell, fighting amongst themselves. Others piled onto his back for a fresh bite. Hellboy howled out in pain.

"You guys are sick!"

He threw three of the creatures from his back, tossing them to the floor. They stood up immediately, launching themselves forward once again. Hellboy threw himself backwards, hoping to crush a few with his weight. They slipped through the bars of the floor and were ontop of him once more.

"Screw this!" Momentarily ignoring the pain, he pulled the pin from a holy hand grenade the size of his head. "Say goodbye, raisins!"

The blast sent the floor, roof and walls, surrounding the creatures and Hellboy, crumbling into bits. All fell into the crypt onto the enourmous pile of dried bones. The creatures were unharmed and returned to approach him once more. Hellboy heard an echo from within "_God was cast out of Owsgmina_"

"Oh, Crap."

* * *

Liz stood among the walking dead, the glowing iron cross in her hand. She raised her glance toward the beasts, fire seemingly shooting from her eyes. Flames shot from the cross, surrounding her entire body. The creatures backed off momentarily. Liz walked forward, lowering the cross by its' heavy chain and swinging it to and fro. The creatures watched her through the sheild of fire that contained her. One approached, the iron cross shattered it's skull, reducing it to ashes.

Liz stood, alone and on fire. The creatures made repeated attempts to enter the flames, yet their dried bodies were charred. They did not scream, nor did they cry out. They backed off and waited. They knew, in time, the flames would expire and they would have their meal.

* * *

Kate stood behind a roughened wall between the convent and Liz, struggling to keep her breath. On her left was Liz, consumed in fire. A violent shaking of the ground drew her attention to right, where Hellboy fought within the convent. Kate stared down at her useless gun and useless ammo. She was of no use to either Liz or Hellboy. Fire on both sides, senseless whispers and chattering above her head."Anamun inda robal mesma an unun…" 

Kate could not ignore the deathly voices that surrounded her, waiting for one moment to strike. Before she completed her thought, they were ontop of her. They tore at her eyes with their blunted and blackened fingers. They bit her hands as she attempted to guard her vision.

"_Mesma an unun…. Unun…_"

Kate threw herself to the ground, her eyelids held tight in desperation to remain in her own head.

"_Unun an mesma…"_

Kate screamed as her hands suddenly burned with the flow of fresh blood upon them.

* * *

_For those of you actually following this, it is going somewhere._


	6. Dust and Ashes

_**Author note:** Same disclaimer as previous chapters. _

"_Centaur" in the last chapter was in reference to the Inn Liz & Kate first encountered the dead guys._ _Didn't see the similarity to the "Wolves of St. August" until it was brought up. Oopsie on my part, yet readers be certain this has a different outcome and story has different origins. It came in a dream about these hideously deformed nuns, a firestorm and a curse of damnation from greed. If it is too similar, however, I will delete it. Can't be sneaking material from the master (Mignola) even if it is by accident._

* * *

**Dust and Ashes**

Hellboy stood slowly, his back and lip bleeding and coat torn to shreds. His shadow hid several of the attackers. Hellboy balanced himself on the mound of bones. Shards of red light pierced the blackness and reflected off the dust particles stirred by the approaching corpses. They stood back momentarily, circling him. Hellboy thrashed his tail. He secured his hooves against a few shattered skulls and stone fragments.

"Whatcha waitin' for?"

Hellboy raised his right hand to strike. The corpses did not attack. Hellboy looked upwards into the blackness. They wanted him down here; they would keep him here in this prison until he was too weak to fight.

"You guys can wait here. I'm not sticking around for dinner."

Hellboy pulled a sharp pick from his belt and leapt at the wall. His stone hand and the pick held him to the wall as he pulled himself up into the first floor of the convent. His attackers quickly began ascending the wall, nimbly yet slow. Hellboy lit a mummified femur with his Zippo lighter, it's light guiding him into the bowels of the convent. He nonchalantly pulled the pins from two grenades and threw them into the crypt. The convent shook as a rain of shattered bones fell upon him. A pelvis balanced over the edge for a moment, before falling into the abyss below.

* * *

Liz opened her eyes to a violet haze, the undead around her in a circle. They keep their distance, those coming too close crumbled to black dust. She turns her eye to the Convent, a place none who entered ever left. She lowered her gaze to Kate, who held herself to the ground fighting for her life. Hungry, empty eyes surrounded her. For the first time, she felt in control of the fire.

Liz approached Kate, each footstep barely touching the ground. The undead rapidly moved away, charred with the extreme heat. Kate screamed as the fire seared her skin and the blood flowed. Liz stepped back.

"No! Kate! No!"

Liz looked at Kate, then down an alleyway. The iron glowed white, burning all but her own body. Kate watched, with bloodied eyes, as Liz disappeared into the maze of narrow streets.

Kate stood up and dusted herself off. The cobbles were littered with black ashes, the remaining creatures stood in the shadows. She tore a shred of cloth from her shirt and bandaged her hand. She gazed up once more at the convent where Hellboy was likely saving them all. It burned red and orange. She cocked her gun and ran after Liz. Empty eyes watched on.

* * *

Hellboy walked carefully on the broken and weakened bars of the convent, through narrow passageways. The few remaining bodies, the walking dead men. They _were_ men. Hellboy stopped and grumbled. The sisters and their wards; the sick, twisted and deformed demons were innocents. With his fist, he bashed through the crumbling stone towards the towers and cels.

Several walls and one ceiling bore large holes before he arrived at a chained and locked door. His right hand quickly released the door from it's iron hinges. The inside surface was concave, thousands of wide gouges and dusty, grayed wood shavings beneath his hooves. Hellboy focused his gaze farther ahead into the black hallway, the light from the femur casting a dim glow over the worn and barren floor. No creatures followed him.

"_God left Owsgmina. God was cast away_." Hellboy felt the iron cross on his belt anyhow.

Every door to each cell was open, all were empty. He felt a cold chill blow over him. The torch flickered as it passed. He followed the breeze to a small cell where the last rays of sunlight entered through a narrow crack in the roof. A pile of ashes lay in the middle of the room surrounded by twisted, dusty and dried bones. They remained on the floor, unmoving.

* * *

Kate followed Liz into through the narrow passageways. Liz stood still in the street, gazing into space.

"Liz, wait!"

"_Cepi vestri amicus. Operor non timeo. Is ero tergum nunc_."

Kate stood motionless.

"Quisnam es vos?"

"_Succurro rutilus unus. __Reperio lumen._"

Kate turned he back to Liz. Before looking once more into her flames.

"Qua est lumen?"

"_In telum of formido vir. Proditor."_

Liz followed the narrow streets and passed crumbling buildings. Herlight clashed with the reddening sky and lengthening shadows. Mangled zombie-men followed her at every turn, quickly gatheringinto a mass of about eighty. They watched every step she took. She turned for a brief second only to see Kate running through the darkness towards Hellboy. She was alone.

* * *

_For those who don't know Latin, it's not as critical to the story as you may think. Kinda like the Latin in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. Intereseting, but ads little informationto the story that's not described by the actions of the characters._


	7. A Stream of Water

_**Author Note:** Hellboy, Liz, Kate and BPRD are not mine. I'm a big fan, and that is about it. Some of you may be disappointed. This is the second to last chapter of the story. Please make any suggestions or editing notes for the entire story now, if you have them. As it stands, it will be done by Hallowe'en. Been great fun writing this one. Have to say that it has ended my nightmares about deformed nuns and flesh-eating undead quite nicely._

* * *

A stream of water

Hellboy stared down at the dead women, whose bodies, or rather the remains, were distinctly misshapen. Each skeleton held a worn cross in her hand, the ends worn and damaged. A leather-bound book was clutched between two three-fingered hands. Everything else appeared to have been thrown into the small fire in the centre of the room.

A stream of holy water fell from a glass vial and onto the book. The book crumbled to dust and sat ontop of the water, as if ashes on the sea. He continued to pour until the entire litre sat on the floor, forming a meniscus against the dried bones of the nuns. They would not awaken until God was returned.

Hooves teetered on delicate footing as Hellboy made his way through the passageways to a defaced shrine near a broken window. God may have been cast out, yet the elder Gods, those deemed as satanic by the church, may linger on. Hellboy began to fumble with his belt, wrapping a small chain around his left wrist.

"_xuey sel ome frelin tse ibu" _

Hellboy felt a tug at his wrist.

"It's in the hands of the betrayer."

Hellboy turned to see Kate, soiled, bloodied and clearly agitated. "Where's Liz?"

"Down there" Kate pointed outside to a ball of flame that slowly weaved through the streets of Owsgmina as an orange glow. A crowd of undead followed her.

"She's dying down there!" Shouted Hellboy. "They're going to destroy her."

Kate pulled Hellboys' stone hand. "We must find the eye, then."

* * *

Liz walked on through the streets, leading the undead away from Kate and Hellboy. She was in control, yet something about her thoughts did not feel her own. She stared at the last rays of the sun as they disappeared under the earth to heat the hell that lay underneath.

"The earth is not flat" She argued within herself

"_Yes it is." _

Her fire burned brighter for a brief moment. She held the cross closer to her chest. The only light in Owsgmina was herself.

* * *

Hellboy stared into the streets, now poorly lit. "The eye will be in the hands of the betrayer."

"That's what he said."

"I'll bet you nachos for a month that the bastard's underground."

"You know I don't eat nachos." Kate stared down at the large crypt and the spattering of shattered bones on the crumbled floor. "Your respect for history is charming."

"So is the respect for life around here." Hellboy lit a cigar with the burning femur and offered the passageway to Kate. "Ladies first, and you don't need to worry about not liking them."

The pair followed the passage deep into the darkness, coming to a narrow spiral staircase nearly to narrow for Hellboy. No cobwebs or moisture clung to the walls as they followed the steps downward. The air was thick, dry and smelled of sulfur. The femur went out. Kate switched on her flashlight.

"Every church, convent and castle is has an underground equal in size to what lies above. It's where the true soul of the building lies."

Kate was the first to step ino the darkened underground chamber. It was large and full of debris from ages past. Gypsy caravans, knights armour, books, riches from centuries past, artillery, swastika embellished uniforms and bicycles lay in haphazard mounds. Everything was perfectly preserved.

"This has to be worth a fortune."

"Every bit of it is cursed, Katie."

They continued through the large hall, eyes scanning the great mounds of artifacts.

"Where is he, Red?"

"He's guarding the eye." Hellboy held up a small, cheerful gypsy sun. "God may have been cast out, but the elder Gods remain. They're mildly annoyed to say the least." Hellboy grinned. "I'm looking forward to those nachos."

Kate's reply was cut off by the sight of a skeleton in a tattered red robe. It's empty eye sockets lit with a terrible red with the beam of the flashlight. The figure stood up and approached slowly, the sleleton feet dripping blood as it advanced.

"_Amemun idah feh ka meh anung un rama."_

The robed figure extended his arms toward the ceiling, then pointed toward Hellboy with it's palms.

Hellboy rolled his neck, shoulders and stone wrist. He removed what was left of his jacket, exposing hundreds of small scratches and tears on a muscular back. His ponytail has come unbound and hung as a tassel between his shoulders.

"When will they get the point that I'm not…" An unseen hand knocked him down onto the floor and into a gypsy wagon. He dug his hooves into the rough flooring and gained his balance. He narrowed his eyes on the bloodied figure.

Kate looked on with anxious eyes.

"Son of a -----"


	8. Melting Shadows

_**Author note: **I don't own any part of the BPRD, Hellboy, Liz, Kate or anything else in the "Hellboy" Universe._

_Last note on the story would be that "Owsgmina" is a combo of words. "Ows- is the first half of an ex-boyfriend's name. "-gmina" is part of a Polish word meaning township, or at least some bastardized version of it that I remamber hearing from said Polish boyfriend. I did a search on Google "Owsgmina" is written no where else on the web. _

_

* * *

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Melting shadows

Liz stopped near the crest of the hill and stood in the middle of the street. Her fire burned weak, the only light around her that of the half-moon. She looked ahead, straight into the sky. The corpses moved in closer. She felt weak, tired and unable to carry on. She stood in the street, trembling weakly and staring upwards. Where was Hellboy?

"_Who is Hellboy?"_

"My friend."

"_The bearer of the end." _A cold shiver ran down her spine, through her soul.

"My friend." Liz shouted in her mind. "Him and Kate will save me. I know they will."

* * *

Hellboy stood, staring at the red figure. "Get the eye, Katie." 

He quickly withdrew the Samaritain from his belt and fired four rounds into the corpses' chest, shattering the bones and splattering blood through the entire cavern.

"That's very unceremonial of you, Red. You didn't even give him a chance." Kate mocked.

Hellboy grunted discontent. "What am I supposed to do? Let him toss me around for twenty minutes before whipping his ass? Not in the mood for that." He wrapped the cheerful sun around the shell of the corpse. "The Gods can finish him off."

Kate retrieved the eye from atop a mound of horse bones and tossed it to Hellboy. He balanced the small glass orb on the end of a stone finger before smashing it into dust with a large flat stone. To destroy it with his own right hand would be exactly what that creep would want. Like hell he'd do it.

"We'd better get out of here before we're buried alive." Shouted Kate, pushing Hellboy toward the exit.

The corpse was already beginning to disappear into a growing swirl of black dust. Kate held onto Hellboys' tail as they ran down the steps of the convent and away from the growing dust cloud. They stumbled at the botton of the steps, falling into a swirl of dissolving stone and choking dust.

* * *

Liz stared at the lone moon, it's light getting brighter as her flames died. Suddenly, another formed, much larger than the other, closer and more detailed. She walked slowly and weakly to the peak of the hill. A group of lights loomed over the lowered horizon. Liz turned away at the bright flash of light which followed. When her eyes returned to the sky, only one remained, the one that had the small white light on it. It was now a rich glowing haze of yellow and white. 

The corpses around her stood still, neither retreating nor advancing. She could hear Hellboy's shouts, his hooves pounding on the stone, racing toward her. The moment seemed to drag, each hoofbeat minutes apart and echoing through her. She didn't turn around, but stood with her eyes fixed upwards. Suddenly, the hoofbeats stopped.

A cloud of dust began to grasp the sphere in the sky, like a claw. The sphere began to spin on it's axis, graping the claw of dust and drawing it around itself. It spun in the sky, drawing the black dust around it, yet becoming brighter with each revolution. The air remained still despite the apparent suction. The world was fading away from around her.

Hellboy and Kate stood, mesmerized, as the sphere grew lighter and larger, drawing thousands of white shadows and black stone dust from the city around them. The light grew in intensity. Kate covered her eyes, leaning into Hellboy. Hellboy stood, his hooves firmly planted on the dissolving cobblestones. His yellow eyes remained fixed on the giant light sillouetting Liz. A flash of fire surrounded her. Hellboy crouched over Kate, the flames passing over him. "Duck and cover", he whispered into Kates' ear. After several moments, all was dark.

The stars and half-moon slowly reappeared in an early-morning sky. Hellboy looked at his watch, it was 0300. Kate trembled in his arms, not from fear but from cold. He gently woke her up with a stroke of his left hand.

"Ready to go home?"

Hellboy and Kate stood alone on a grassy knoll, under the pale light of one moon. They walked forward to Elizabeth Sherman, who lay on the grass with a strange smile on her face. They lifted her up, waking her from her apparent slumber.

The BSRPA van sat at the bottom of the hill, unscathed. A churchbell was all that remained of the town, it was rusted, cracked and alone in the tall grass. The sole survivor of the sanctuary. Dr. Corrigan picked up a cheerful sun from the grass, it's rays now dulled and worn.

"Ethera. Her name was Ethera." Mumbled Liz. Kate supported her weight while walking her toward the lonesome and uncomfortable, yet welcoming, van.

Hellboy lingered behind, kicking his hooves through the soil, releasing fresh white bones from the earth. He tossed them into a sturdy burlap sack. The two BSRPA agents would be returned as promised. The Eye of Lin was better left as dust.

_

* * *

_

**_Epilogue_**

Abe sat in his library, near the end of a much dog-eared and scratched book. He folded the page down as Hellboy and Kate Corrigan stepped in.

"How did it go?"

"No souvenirs. Few scratches."

"Where's Liz?"

"She didn't come back with us." Hellboy grunted, tossing an oversized sweater onto the floor next to the coat rack. "Gonna need to put an order in for a new coat, again."

Abe shook his head briefly, then resumed his novel, ignoring Hellboy alltogether. He anxiously waited to hear Red's toes clicking out of the library.

"He dies in her arms and they both turn to dust."

Abe threw the book to the table, it's dog-eared pages causing it to fly open as a fan.

"She'll be back, you'll see." Said Kate. "Don't worry. Manning just went by with a new case folder." She walked out of the library, leaving Abe alone in with his thoughts.

Abe leaned back into the great armchair, stretching his arms and legs into the comfort of the Lazy-boy. Hopefully this next case would be his. He couldn't take the boredom much longer.


End file.
